Still Life with Oleander and Fruit
Framed: 26 7/8 × 32 7/8 × 3 5/8 inches (68.26 × 83.5 × 9.21 cm)
- 129
A sprawling bouquet of pink oleander spills from a rustic French Provençal ceramic vase in this casual and asymmetrically balanced still life. Yellow and green pears cluster at left, and a lone yellow pear rests on the tabletop at right. A brilliant flood of light illuminates the upper left side of all objects while casting shadows to the right. Together, the vitality of colors and composition suggest the pleasant comforts of home.
Albert André began his artistic career as a fabric designer in Lyon. Later, living in Paris, he counted fellow artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir among his closest friends and mentors.
Purchased from the artist by Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock no. 9586, as Laurier rose et fruits, April 11, 1911-1916 [1];
Transferred from Durand-Ruel, Paris to Durand-Ruel, New York, stock no. 4031, 1916-February 16, 1931;
Purchased from Durand-Ruel by Effie Seachrest (1869-1952), Kansas City, MO, February 16, 1931; [2]
Frances M. Logan (1855-1946), Kansas City, MO, by 1946; [3]
Her bequest to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1947.
NOTES:
[1] Details of Durand-Ruel’s ownership of the painting were provided by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel et Cie., in an email to Nicole Myers, Associate Curator, January 11, 2016, NAMA curatorial files.
[2] Effie Seachrest was a Kansas City local who brought artwork on consignment to her home, which became known as the ‘Little Gallery in the Woods’ and where she taught connoisseurship classes.
[3] Frances Logan was a friend and student of Effie Seachrest and may have acquired the painting from her.
